The Significant Guru-shishya Affinity!
By H H Maa Purnananda
“Anek Janm Sampraapt Karmbandh Vidahine; Aatmgnyan Pradaanena Tasmai Sree Gurave Namah.” – (Sree Guru Stotram – 9)
The tedious and never-ending journey of the soul, passing through innumerable births, probably out of some 8.4 million species (Chauraasi-lakh Yoni); can it ever come to an end?
Doubts and queries surround the mind and disturb it completely with endless inquisitiveness about matters such as “soul”, “soul’s journey”, “Innumerable births”, specifically “8.4 million Yoni-s”, and, “end of the journey”.
The answers, indication or direction to such matters generally would not be available from family members, school teachers, professors at the university or from any of the worldly societal platforms from where the objective knowledge could be availed.
So ultimately one has to find some other source of knowledge to get satisfactory answers to it all. But most of the people might not even be interested in such matters, or, have no time and inclination to think about such matters! Should that stop ‘you’ from finding answers to your doubts?
Sometimes intentionally and sometimes even accidentally, some of us come across couple of such books or a place of worship; or a fortunate one amongst thousands, providentially comes across a ‘Knowledgeable’ person, from where begins the end of such doubts and queries, bringing immense tranquillity of mind and complete satisfaction of intellect.
It would have taken aeons for the soul to come to this stage of its journey, to meet with the ‘turning point’ for it to get back to its ‘Source’! This rarest and most important, invaluable life-time opportunity should not be wasted or lost at any cost! More often than not, people lose this golden opportunity due to some kind of “fear of the unknown”, or opposition from the family members, or lack of focus, weakness of mind, time constraint, or due to unavailability of reliable source of right knowledge, and so on!
If ‘you’ have been able to cross all those known and unknown hurdles and have been most fortunate to touch your ‘turning point’ in life, then the only thing I can say is “O’ Fortunate one! Now doubtlessly, with unswerving faith, put in your best and unabatedly proceed towards your ‘Source’!
“The Guru alone can bless me with the needful. The Guru alone can be the Beacon on this tedious path. The Guru alone can direct me, guide me and give me the answers to all such doubts that have been bothering me ever since! I humbly and sincerely prostrate at the Holy-feet of Sree Guru Parampara. I rest my uncompromising faith and complete devotion at Your Holy-feet O’Guru! I pray and seek Your compassion to accept me and make me worthy of Your benevolent shelter.” – This would be the heartfelt intense call of a devout; and the Guru too would be elated to receive the deserving one indeed!
Though, to comb out a needle from the pastureland is almost impossible, unless a ray of the sun falls upon it and the needle shines-up bright! But to find a worthy disciple is even more impossible indeed! It is only when a ray of the Divine Light, the Light of the Guru’s compassionate glance, falls upon the deserving individual; that, bathing in that Divine Ray, he sparkles forth and is caught in the profound vision of the Guru. The Guru embraces him and the disciple gets liberated at that instance from the long-standing ignorance!
In the given Stotra, with his unswerving devotion and heart full of gratitude, the disciple humbly bows down at the Holy-feet of the Guru and exclaims – “Humble prostrations to the revered Guru, who burns off my innumerable bondages of doer-ship developed through several births; and blesses me with Self-Knowledge.” The disciple is overwhelmed! And so is the Guru!
On the auspicious occasion of Maharshi Vedvyas Purnima, we seek insight for the invaluable value of the Guru in our life and sincerely strive to make ourselves worthy of the Divine affectionate embrace of our revered Guru!
“Vyaasaaya Vishnuroopaaya Vyaasroopaaya Vishnave;
Namo Vai Brahmnidhaye Vaasishthaaya Namo Namah.”